Nick Klos wears suits to work. “Dress for the job you want,” he says.
His favorite ensembles are a light blue suit with a white shirt, “And a power move with a pink tie,” he adds with a grin. He also favors a dark navy-blue suit with a white and purple patterned shirt and a purple tie. “Both are professional with a bit of personality,” he explains.
Klos is taking his colorful wardrobe and personality to Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina. He’s joining the Royals as a Digital Media/Broadcasting Assistant.
Queens is an NCAA DII program featuring 32 varsity sports. Klos will be broadcasting many of them. “[It] will allow me to call multiple games in a variety of sports which will be a great foundation for future opportunities and freelance work.”
Laying the groundwork
Klos will earn his degree from the University of South Carolina next month. He’ll graduate as a broadcast journalism major with a minor in sports and entertainment management. In Columbia, he worked for the Student Gamecock Television channel as an associate producer and reporter for Capital City Sports.
He also built relationships.
“It is critical in this business,” Klos states. “As a sophomore, I began looking up ‘play-by-play’ on LinkedIn. I found people doing what I wanted to do who were at a variety of career levels. I would reach out and ask for a phone call. My motivation was to get great advice from those who were working in the field. How did they start out? What did I need to do to prepare myself? Those kinds of questions. People were so supportive. That effort helped me to build a good network while in college which led to a lot of opportunities and amazing people who were willing to support my job search.”
Help from STAA
Klos saw the Queens opportunity in an STAA Job Leads email. “I am also friends with Brett Williams who held this position a few years ago before his current role at Western Kentucky University.”
Like Klos, Williams is a South Carolina graduate and an STAA member. Klos joined STAA this year.
“So many people referred me to STAA I could not even pin it to one person,” he recalls. “A lot of my friends in professional hockey and college sports highly recommended it as a great organization to join. I knew it was something I had to be a part of – even in college. That is saying a lot when you are a student and do not have any extra money, but it was definitely worth the membership fee.
“The membership has benefitted me by providing a greater network of people in my field. I appreciate the way that STAA provides a heads-up about open positions. I wouldn’t have known about this opportunity without STAA. I expect that STAA will be a valuable part of my entire career.”
Dress for success
Back to Klos’ suits. He knows what he wants to be in life and what he wants to look like. “I want to be a TV broadcaster. My goal is to be an NHL and college lacrosse broadcaster like Joe Beninati. Joe Beninati always looks professional in a suit and tie, so that’s what I do.”
A challenge that Klos has encountered is people responding negatively when he shares his play-by-play goals. “There are a lot of people in the broadcasting/media industry that will immediately shut you down because it is not the easiest route,” Klos explains. “Let’s face it, there are more jobs in news. I have learned to take the good and helpful but ignore the negativity.
“The truth is you can be successful in this industry. Yes, it is extremely hard, but it is not impossible. Someone is going to be the next broadcaster/play-by-play guy in the NHL, or on ESPN. Why not me?”
You’ll recognize Klos when he reaches the NHL. He’ll be wearing a suit. And for the next 12 months, you’ll recognize him at Queens University of Charlotte athletic events the exact same way.